Solar Panel Racking System and Devices for the Same

ABSTRACT

A solar panel racking system that can include end clamps, mid clamps, bottom clamps, L-foot adapter assemblies, rails, and L-foot assemblies. The solar panel racking system minimizes the use of tools by snapping many of the mounting components in place. The end clamps, mid clamps, and bottom clamps can snap over the rail sides and lock into upper detented portions of the rail sides. The upper detented portions are structured to prevent upward movement of the end clamps, mid clamps, and bottom clamps. The L-foot adapter body of the L-foot adapter assembly snaps over lower detented portions of rail sides and secures the rail to an L-foot assembly. The end clamps, mid clamps, bottom clamps, rails, and L-foot adapter assemblies are independent of the L-foot assembly, allowing a selection of L-foot assemblies to be used as appropriate with the solar panel racking system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/657,551, filed on Mar. 31, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 17/302,885, filed on May 14, 2021, now U.S.Pat. No. 11,296,648 issued on Apr. 5, 2022. The entire contents of U.S.patent application Ser. Nos. 17/657,551 and 17/302,885 are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to solar panel racking systems, alsoknown as solar panel mountings systems, as well as devices, apparatus,and methods relating to solar panel racking systems.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are used in commercial, residential, andutility-scale environments. For example, solar PV panel installationscan be found on various types of residential and commercial roofs, shadestructures such as awnings and carports, as well as building facades. Inaddition, solar panels can be installed on self-supportingground-mounted structures, typically in commercial and utility-scaleenvironments.

Solar PV systems are placed and secured within various residential,commercial, and utility-scale environments by solar panel rackingsystems. There are many costs associated with solar PV systems. Theseinclude solar panels, solar panel racking systems, electricalcomponents, permitting, installation labor, and logistics costs.

SUMMARY

The solar panel racking system and associated devices developed by theinventors, and described hereafter by way of various examples, utilizecomponents that can be snapped together and/or slid together. Theinventors' solar panel racking system and associated devices can reducethe number of threaded fasteners used in a typical solar PV systeminstallation, which potentially reduces labor costs. The solar panelracking system can include a common subset of components that can beused in a variety of installation environments. By using a common subsetof components, inventory and material planning are simplified, which canreduce logistics costs.

The inventors developed a solar panel racking system and devices relatedto solar panel racking systems that can include solar panel clamps thatsnap over the sides of the rail. The rail can include a pair of upperdetented portions that extend lengthwise along the rail and arepositioned in an upper region of the rail (i.e., upper half of the railas measured heightwise). Each upper detented portion of the pair ofupper detented portions includes an upper first sloped surface slopinginward and upward from its corresponding rail side and an upper secondsloped surface sloping downward and outward from below the upper firstsloped surface. The panel clamps, which are secured to the upperdetented portions on the outside-facing surfaces of the rails, includeclamping portions with sloped surfaces that are shaped to engage theupper first sloped surface and the upper second sloped surface. Thiscombination prevents upward movement of the panel clamps once they aresnapped into place and tightens the clamp to the rail as more upwardpressure is added.

The rail can also include a pair of lower detented portions that extendlengthwise along the rail and are positioned on a lower region of therail (i.e. lower half of the rail as measured heightwise). Each lowerdetented portion of the pair of lower detented portions includes a lowerfirst sloped surface sloping inward and downward from the rail side anda lower second sloped surface sloping upward and outward from below thelower first sloped surface. An L-foot adapter body of an L-foot adapterassembly is similarly structured with clamping portions that engage thelower sloped surfaces of the rail. The lower sloped surfaces of the railin combination with the clamping portions of the L-foot adapter bodyprevent upward movement of the rail once the rail is snapped into theL-foot adapter body.

The L-foot adapter assembly can be secured to an L-foot assembly. TheL-foot assembly can be secured to a mounting structure; for example, amounting structure for a shingled roof, metal roof, tile roof,commercial flat roof, shade structure, or ground-mounted structure. TheL-foot adapter body can be a one-piece structure and can have the L-footadapter side that engages the L-foot of the L-foot assembly thinner andmore flexible than the than the opposing other L-foot adapter side. Asthe rail is snapped into the L-foot adapter body, the L-foot adapterside that faces the L-foot will flex outward while the opposite andthicker and more rigid L-foot adapter side will remain stationaryallowing the rail to be snapped into the L-foot adapter. The thinner andmore flexible side that faces the L-foot will become stabilized and morerigid when it is tightened against the L-foot. This can allow the L-footadapter assembly to be adjusted with respect to the L-foot assemblyindependent of whether or not the rail is secured to the L-foot adapterbody.

The solar panel racking system and associated devices can also include arail splice that can join adjacent rails together. The rail splice caninclude a rail splice body, bonding pins, a splice bracket with blindholes for receiving the bonding pins, and a threaded fastener forattaching the splice bracket to the rail splice body. The rails caninclude a hollow interior because it does not require internal supportstructures like other rails. The hollow interior of the rails allows thesplice body slide inside the adjacent rails. The splice bracket andbonding pins slide over the outside surface of the adjacent rails. Thesplice bracket is tightened and secures the rails to the splice body.The bonding pins penetrate the oxide layer or paint layer of the railsand electrically bond the rails to one another. The splice bracket caninclude a foot that projects inward toward the splice body from thebottom of the splice bracket. The foot is positioned to engage thebottom of the rail and stabilize the splice bracket as it is tightenedto the rail.

The solar panel racking system and associated devices developed by theinventors can have the following advantages. First, panel clamps, rails,and L-foot adapter assemblies can be secured to one another without anytools, saving assembly time and labor costs. Second, the solar panelracking system can be used with a variety of L-foot assembly types oralternatively be used without an L-foot assembly. The Descriptionsection of this disclosure will show examples of the solar panel rackingsystem attached to several types of L-foot assemblies. Third, the panelracking system can have a common set of parts (i.e., panel clamps,rails, rail splices, and L-foot adapter assemblies) that are adaptableto different mounting structures and roof types. Fourth, the panelclamps can be adjusted to different solar panel heights independent ofsecurement to the rail because the height adjustment mechanism isindependent of the rail securement mechanism. Fifth, height adjustmentof the L-foot adapter assembly with respect to the L-foot assembly andsecurement of the L-foot adapter assembly to the rail are independent.This allows for either pre-adjustment of the L-foot adapter assemblyheight or preassembly of the L-foot adapter assembly to the rail. Sixth,the rail splice can form a structural element between the rails. Inaddition, the splice bracket and bonding pins do not require any holesto be drilled in the rail so they can be adjusted and fitted on the jobsite.

The solar panel racking system can include over-the-panel clamps andunder-the-panel clamps. For the purpose of this disclosure,over-the-panel clamps positionable at the edges of a solar PV panelsystem or array will be referred to as “end clamps.” For the purpose ofthis disclosure, over-the-panel clamps that are positionable between twosolar panels will be referred to as “mid clamps.” For the purpose ofthis disclosure, under-the-panel clamps will be referred to as “bottomclamps.” The over-the-panel clamps can optionally include a bondingblock with bonding pins. The bonding block can snap into the mid-body ofthe over-the-panel clamp and reside in an optional slot that is detentedlengthwise along the top of the rail.

This Summary introduces a selection of concepts in simplified form thatare described in more detail in the Description. Some features includedin the Summary may be optional. It is the inventors' intent not to limitthe scope of the claims by inclusion or exclusion of features orexamples in the Summary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates in isometric view, a solar PV system with solarpanels and a solar panel racking system with the solar panels arrangedin portrait mode.

FIG. 2 illustrates in isometric view, an enlarged portion of the solarPV system of FIG. 1 with a frontward portion of the solar panel cutawayalong section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 to reveal end clamps, a mid clamp, arail, a rail splice, L-foot adapter assemblies, and L-foot assemblies.

FIG. 3 illustrates, in isometric view, a solar PV system with solarpanels and a solar panel racking system with the solar panels arrangedin landscape mode and utilizing the rail, rail splice, L-foot adapterassemblies, and L-foot assemblies of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 illustrates, in side view, a rail of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view an upper detentedportion located on the left side of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of a lower detentedportion located on the left side of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 7 illustrates, in side view, an alternative version of a rail thatcould be used in place of the rail of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 8 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view an upper detentedportion located on the left side of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of a lower detentedportion located on the left side of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 10 illustrates, in side view, a portion of a clamp body engagingthe upper portion of the rail of FIG. 4 before the clamping portions ofthe clamp body engage the upper detented portions of the rail.

FIG. 11 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of the clampingportion of the clamp body of FIG. 10 .

FIG. 12 illustrates, in side view, the clamp body portion and railportion of FIG. 10 with the clamp body and rail are engaged and securedtogether.

FIG. 13 illustrates, in side view, a portion of a clamp body of a bottomclamp and an upper portion of the rail of FIG. 4 with the clamp body andrail body being engaged and secured together by rotating the clamp bodyportion in place.

FIG. 14 illustrates, in side view, the portion of the clamp body and anupper portion of the rail both of FIG. 13 where the clamp body and railbody are engaged and secured together.

FIG. 15 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of a first clampingportion of the clamp body of FIG. 14 .

FIG. 16 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of a second clampingportion of the clamp body of FIG. 14 .

FIG. 17 illustrates, in side isometric view, the bottom clamp of FIG. 14sliding over the outside of the rail.

FIG. 18 illustrates, in side view, a portion of a clamp body engagingthe upper portion of the rail of FIG. 4 ; the clamp body is used alandscape-mode end clamp and landscape-mode mid clamp.

FIG. 19 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged view of a clampingportion of the clamp body of FIG. 18 .

FIG. 20 illustrates, in side view, the portion of the clamp body andrail of FIG. 18 with the clamp body and rail body engaged and securedtogether.

FIG. 21 illustrates, in side view, a portion of the clamp body of FIG.10 engaging the upper portion of the rail of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 22 illustrates, in side view, the portion of the clamp body portionand rail of FIG. 21 with the clamp body and rail engaged and securedtogether.

FIG. 23 illustrates, in exploded isometric view, an L-foot adapterassembly of the present disclosure.

FIG. 24 illustrates a section view of an L-foot adapter body of theL-foot adapter assembly of FIG. 23 .

FIG. 25 illustrates a section view of an L-foot adapter body of theL-foot adapter assembly of FIG. 26 .

FIG. 26 illustrates, in exploded isometric view, an alternative versionof an L-foot adapter assembly of the present disclosure.

FIG. 27 illustrates, in side view, the rail of FIG. 4 , L-foot assemblyof FIG. 2 , and L-foot adapter assembly of FIG. 23 with the rail beingsnapped into the L-foot adapter body.

FIG. 28 illustrates, in side view, the rail, L-foot assembly and L-footadapter assembly of FIG. 27 , with the rail being rotated in the L-footadapter body.

FIG. 29 illustrates, in side view, the rail, L-foot assembly and L-footadapter assembly of FIG. 27 with the rail and L-foot adapter assemblyextended upward with respect to the L-foot assembly.

FIG. 30 illustrates, in side view, an enlarged portion of FIG. 29 , toillustrate how the rail is secured to the L-foot adapter body.

FIG. 31 illustrates, in isometric view, an enlarged portion of the solarPV system similar to FIG. 2 , cut along section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 ,showing how the L-foot adapter assembly of FIG. 26 can be mounteddirectly to a trapezoidal roof.

FIG. 32 illustrates, in isometric view, the enlarged portion of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 illustrates, in isometric view, a solar PV system mounteddirectly to a trapezoidal roof using the L-foot adapter assembly of FIG.26 and with the solar panels oriented in landscape mode.

FIG. 34 illustrates, in side view, a trapezoidal metal roof with woodroof decking in cutaway view, to show the L-foot adapter assemblysecured to a roof rafter and with the rail exploded away from the L-footadapter.

FIG. 35 illustrates, in exploded view isometric view, a rail spliceassembly of the present disclosure that can engage the rail of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 36 illustrates, in exploded view isometric view, an alternativeversion of a rail splice assembly of the present disclosure that canengage the rail of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 37 illustrates, in side view, the rail splice of FIG. 35 .

FIG. 38 illustrates, in side view, a rail splice of FIG. 36 .

FIG. 39 illustrates, in isometric view, two rails exploded away from therail splice assembly.

FIG. 40 illustrates, in isometric view, the rails and rail spliceassembly of FIG. 39 with one of the rails secured to the rail spliceassembly.

FIG. 41 illustrates in isometric view, the rails and rail spliceassembly of FIG. 39 with both of the rails secured to the rail spliceassembly.

FIG. 42 illustrates, in side view, the rails and rail splice assembly ofFIG. 41 .

FIG. 43 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, an end clamp of thepresent disclosure for mounting solar panels in portrait mode.

FIG. 44 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, the end clamp ofFIG. 43 where the spring is replaced by a washer.

FIG. 45 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, the mid clamp ofthe present disclosure for mounting solar panels in portrait mode.

FIG. 46 illustrates, in exploded isometric view, an alternative versionof the mid clamp for mounting solar panels in portrait mode.

FIG. 47 illustrates, in side view, the body that is common to the endclamps and mid clamps FIGS. 43-46 .

FIG. 48 illustrates, in side view, a portion of the body of FIG. 47enlarged magnify the bonding block mounting portion.

FIG. 49 illustrates, in side view, the body of FIG. 47 mounted togetherwith the bonding block, with portions of the body hidden from view bythe bonding block are illustrated as dashed lines.

FIG. 50 illustrates, in bottom isometric view, the body and the bondingblock of FIG. 49 .

FIG. 51 illustrates, in front view, the end clamp of FIG. 43 securing asolar panel to a rail, with dashed lines representing hidden lines.

FIG. 52 illustrates, in side view, of FIG. 51 .

FIG. 53 illustrates, in front view, the mid clamp of FIG. 45 securingtwo solar panel to a rail with dashed lines representing hidden lines.

FIG. 54 illustrates, in side view, of FIG. 53 with dashed linesrepresenting hidden lines.

FIG. 55 illustrates, in top isometric view, a portion of the mid clampof FIG. 53 with one of the solar panels removed to show the relationshipbetween the mid clamp, the bonding block, bonding pins, and rail slot.

FIG. 56 illustrates, in top isometric view, portions of two adjacentsolar panels where the solar panels are being secured to the rail by themid clamp of FIG. 46 .

FIG. 57 illustrates, in front view, the mid clamp of FIG. 46 securingtwo solar panels to a rail, with dashed lines representing hidden lines.

FIG. 58 illustrates, in side view, a portion of FIG. 57 with dashedlines representing hidden lines.

FIG. 59 illustrates, in top isometric view, a portion of FIG. 57 withone of the solar panels removed to show the relationship between the midclamp, the bonding block, and rail slot.

FIG. 60 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, a bottom clamp ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 61 illustrates, in isometric view a portion of solar PV system withthe front of the solar panel cutaway along section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 ,to reveal a bottom clamp of FIG. 60 .

FIG. 62 illustrates, in front view, the portion of the solar PV systemof FIG. 61 with the bottom clamp shown unclamped to the return frame toof the solar panel frame.

FIG. 63 illustrates, in front view, the portion of the solar PV systemof FIG. 61 with the bottom clamp shown clamped to the return frame to ofthe solar panel frame.

FIG. 64 illustrates, in side view, a portion of the solar PV system ofFIGS. 6163 extending to one end of the solar panel frame and withportions of the solar panel frame and the bottom clamp that are hiddenfrom view illustrated in dashed lines.

FIG. 65 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, a shared-rail endclamp of the present disclosure for mounting solar panels in landscapemode.

FIG. 66 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, a shared-rail midclamp of the present disclosure for mounting solar panels in landscapemode.

FIG. 67 illustrates, in side view, the shared-rail end clamp of FIG. 65.

FIG. 68 illustrates, in side view, the shared-rail mid clamp of FIG. 66.

FIG. 69 illustrates, in side view, a portion of a solar PV systemillustrating a solar panel secured to a rail, L-foot adapter assembly,and L-foot assembly by the shared-railed end clamp of FIG. 65 .

FIG. 70 illustrates, in side view, a portion of a solar PV systemillustrating solar panels secured to a rail, L-foot adapter assembly,and L-foot assembly by the shared-railed mid clamp of FIG. 66 .

FIG. 71 illustrates an enlarged portion of the solar PV system similarto FIG. 2 , cutaway along section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 , except an L-footand flashing assembly is used in place of the L-foot assemblies of FIG.2 .

FIG. 72 illustrates a solar PV system similar to FIG. 3 except L-footand flashing assemblies of FIG. 71 are used in place of the L-footassemblies of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 73 illustrates an enlarged portion of FIG. 71 , also cutaway alongsection lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 , with the rail, L-foot adapter assembly,end clamp, and solar panel, together extended upward along the L-footand flashing assembly.

FIG. 74 illustrates the rail, L-foot adapter assembly, end clamp, andsolar panel of FIG. 73 , together extended downward along the L-foot andflashing assembly.

FIG. 75 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, the L-foot andflashing assembly together with the L-foot adapter assembly of FIGS.71-74 .

FIG. 76 illustrates an enlarged portion of the solar PV system similarto FIG. 2 , and cutaway along section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 , except anL-foot assembly with two degrees of freedom is used in place of theL-foot assembly of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 77 illustrates a solar PV system similar to FIG. 3 except theL-foot assemblies of FIG. 76 replaces the L-foot assemblies of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 78 illustrates an enlarged portion of FIG. 77 with the rail, L-footadapter assembly, end clamp, and solar panel, together extended forwardand upward along the L-foot assembly.

FIG. 79 illustrates the rail, L-foot adapter assembly, end clamp, andsolar panel of FIG. 78 , together extended rearward and upward along theL-foot assembly.

FIG. 80 illustrates the rail, L-foot adapter assembly, end clamp, andsolar panel assembly of FIG. 78 extended rearward and downward along theL-foot assembly.

FIG. 81 illustrates an exploded view of the L-foot assembly and theL-foot adapter of 76-80.

FIG. 82 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, the L-foot assemblyand L-foot adapter assembly used in FIGS. 1-3, 17, 27-29, 51-55, 57-59,61-64, 69 , and 70.

FIG. 83 illustrates, in exploded and isometric view, the L-foot assemblyand L-foot adapter assembly with the L-foot assembly being similar toFIG. 82 but with an alternative hole pattern.

FIG. 84 illustrates, in side view, an alternative rail of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 85 illustrates an enlarged view an upper detented portion locatedon the left side of FIG. 84 .

FIG. 86 illustrates an enlarged view of a lower detented portion locatedon the left side of FIG. 84 .

FIG. 87 illustrates the rail of FIG. 84 with a portion of an alternativepanel clamp.

FIG. 88 illustrates an enlarged view of an alternative clamping portion.

FIG. 89 illustrates a clamp body that utilizes the alternative clampingportion of FIG. 88 with the clamping body secured to the rail of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION

When describing the figures, the terms “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,”and “side,” are from the perspective of a person standing in front of asolar PV system. Specific dimensions are intended to help the readerunderstand the scale and advantage of the disclosed material. Dimensionsgiven are typical and the claims are not limited to the reciteddimensions. Ordinals such as “first,” “second,” or “third,” are used inthis Description and in the Claims to differentiate betweensimilarly-named parts and do not imply a particular order, preference,or importance. For the purpose of this disclosure, multiple instances ofequivalent parts are often differentiated by a “prime” symbol forclarity when discussing the parts. “Optional” or “optionally” is usedthroughout this disclosure to describe features or structures that areoptional. Not using the word “optional” or “optionally” to describe afeature or structure does not imply that the feature or structure is notoptional. Finally, the word “or” is used in the ordinary sense to meanan “inclusive or,” unless preceded by a qualifier, such as the word“either,” that signals an “exclusive or.”

As discussed in the summary, the inventors developed a solar panelracking system and associated devices with advantages over previous suchsystems and devices. Examples utilizing principals of the inventors'solar panel racking system and associated devices are described in thisDescription. These examples utilize components that can be snappedtogether or slide together. This reduces the number of threadedfasteners used in a typical solar PV panel system installation, therebyreducing labor costs. Utilizing a common set of components across manyinstallation environments and implementations can reduce logisticscosts.

FIGS. 4-42 discuss examples a common set of components that includesrails, L-foot adapters, and rail splices. Three examples of rails areillustrated: rail 12 of FIG. 4 , rail 13 of FIG. 7 , and rail 97 of FIG.84 . Although rail 13 is wider than rail 12, the upper portion of therails is structured to accept a common set of panel clamps. FIGS. 10,12-14, 17, 18, and 20 illustrate how various panel clamps can attach andsecure to rail 12. These same panel clamps can also attach and secure torail 13. FIGS. 21 and 22 , illustrate an example of a panel clampsecuring to rail 13. Two examples of L-foot adapter assemblies arediscussed in FIGS. 23-34 with L-foot adapter assembly 18 shown in FIG.23 and L-foot adapter assembly 17 shown in FIG. 26 . Two examples ofrail splice assemblies are discussed in FIGS. 35-42 : rail spliceassembly 21 in FIG. 35 for use with rail 12 of FIG. 4 and rail spliceassembly 22 in FIG. 36 for use with rail 13 of FIG. 7 .

One of the advantages of the solar panel racking system and devices ofthe present disclosure is that solar panels can be mounted in portraitmode and landscape mode using the common set of components introducedabove. “Portrait mode” refers to orienting the solar panels so that thewidthwise sides of the solar panels are parallel to the ground.“Landscape mode” refers to orienting solar panels so that theirlengthwise sides are parallel to the ground. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustratesolar panel racking system 10 utilized in solar PV panel system 20 withsolar panel 23 and solar panel 24 mounted in portrait mode. FIG. 2 showsa portion of solar panel racking system 10 with a common set ofcomponents (i.e. rail 12, L-foot adapter assembly 18, and rail spliceassembly 21). FIG. 3 illustrates solar panel racking system 10 used insolar PV panel system 30 with solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 mountedin landscape mode. Solar panel racking system 10 in FIG. 3 also utilizesthe same common set of components (i.e. rail 12, L-foot adapter assembly18, and rail splice assembly 21).

Solar panel racking system 10 of FIGS. 1-3 also includes panel clamps,several examples of which are illustrated in FIGS. 43-70 . FIGS. 43-64illustrate panel clamps that can be used when solar panels are to bemounted in portrait mode. Examples of portrait-mode end clamps includeend clamp 25 in FIG. 43 and end clamp 26 in FIG. 44 . Examples ofportrait-mode mid clamps include mid clamp 27 of FIG. 45 and mid clamp28 of FIG. 46 . An example of a portrait-mode bottom clamp isillustrated in FIG. 60 as bottom clamp 29. FIGS. 65-70 illustrate panelclamps that can be used to mount solar panels in landscape mode with endclamp 31 illustrated in FIG. 65 and mid clamp 32 illustrated in FIG. 66.

Another advantage of the solar panel racking system and devices of thepresent disclosure is that rails, L-foot adapters, rail splices, andpanel clamps can be attached to a variety of L-foot assemblies. FIGS.71-83 illustrates four examples of L-foot assemblies. L-foot assembly 33is illustrated in FIGS. 71-75 , L-foot assembly 34 is illustrated inFIGS. 76-81 , L-foot assembly 35 is illustrated in FIG. 82 , and L-footassembly 36 is illustrated in FIG. 83 . The system can optionally bemounted without an L-foot assembly. FIGS. 31-34 illustrate the solarpanel racking system 10 mounted with the L-foot adapter assembly 17mounted directly to a metal roof 37.

The rails, panel clamps, and L-foot adapters are structured so that theycan be snapped or slid together without the use of tools. With railsoften reaching over 4 meters (13.1 ft.), snapping together thesecomponents has an advantage over sliding. This is especially true formid clamp and L-foot adapters, as these components can be locatedanywhere along the length of the rail.

Referring to FIG. 4 , rail 12 includes a pair of upper detentedportions, upper detented portion 12 a and upper detented portion 12 blocated on rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d, respectively, on the upperregion of the rail (i.e., upper half of the rail as measuredheightwise). The pair of rail sides, rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d,form opposing outside-facing surfaces of rail 12. The pair of rail sides(i.e., rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d) extends downward from opposingsides of rail top 12 e. FIG. 5 illustrates upper detented portion 12 ain more detail. Upper detented portion 12 a includes upper first slopedsurface 12 f and upper second sloped surface 12 g. Upper first slopedsurface 12 f projects upward and inward at an angle A1 with respect toits corresponding rail side, rail side 12 c. Upper second sloped surface12 g projects downward and outward with respect to upper first slopedsurface 12 f. Upper second sloped surface 12 g makes an angle A2 withrespect to rail side 12 c. Angle A1 and A2 are illustrated as acute(i.e., less than 90°). Upper first sloped surface 12 f is shownpositioned above upper second sloped surface 12 g. Upper first slopedsurface 12 f and upper second sloped surface 12 g are positioned betweentwo portions of their corresponding rail side, rail side 12 c. Theangular structure of upper first sloped surface 12 f and upper secondsloped surface 12 g and arrangement with respect to rail side 12 cdescribed above resists upward movement and slippage of the clampingportions of the panel clamps once the clamping portions are snapped orslid into the detents.

The same principle of operation can apply to rails of other widths. Forexample, FIG. 7 illustrates rail 13 that has a wider body width thanrail 12 of FIG. 4 . Rail 12 of FIG. 4 has a body width of width D2between rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d located below lower detentedportion 12 n and lower detented portion 12 o. Rail 13 of FIG. 7 has abody width of width D3 between rail side 13 c and rail side 13 d locatedbelow lower detented portion 13 n and lower detented portion 13 o. Rail12 and Rail 13 both can share the same upper body widths of width D1(i.e., the width between rail sides where they engage their respectiveupper detented portions). This allows both rails to engage a common setof panel clamps as the panel clamps engage the upper detented portions.

Referring to FIG. 7 , rail 13 includes a pair of upper detentedportions, upper detented portion 13 a and upper detented portion 13 b,located on the upper region of rail side 13 c and rail side 13 d,respectively and on the upper region of rail (i.e., upper half of therail as measured heightwise). The pair of rail sides, rail side 13 c andrail side 13 d, form opposing outside-facing surfaces of the rail. Theupper region of the pair of rail sides (i.e., rail side 13 c and railside 13 d) extends downward from opposing sides of rail top 13 e.

FIG. 8 illustrates upper detented portion 13 a in more detail. Upperdetented portion 13 a includes upper first sloped surface 13 f and uppersecond sloped surface 13 g. Upper first sloped surface 13 f projectsupward and inward at an angle A1 with respect to its corresponding railside, rail side 13 c. Upper second sloped surface 13 g projects downwardand outward with respect to upper first sloped surface 13 f. Uppersecond sloped surface 13 g makes an angle A2 with respect to itscorresponding rail side, rail side 13 c. Angle A1 and A2 is illustratedas acute (i.e., less than 90°). Upper first sloped surface 13 f beingpositioned above upper second sloped surface 13 g and both upper firstsloped surface 13 f and upper second sloped surface 13 g are positionedbetween two portions of rail side 13 c. The angular structure of upperfirst sloped surface 13 f and upper second sloped surface 13 g andarrangement with respect their corresponding rail side, rail side 13 c,described above resists upward movement of the panel clamps once snappedor slid into place.

FIGS. 10, 12-14, 17, 18 and 20 show examples of how various panel clampsinteract with rail 12 and secure to upper detented portion 12 a andupper detented portion 12 b positioned on opposing sides and on opposingoutside-facing surfaces of rail 12. The panels clamps illustrated inFIGS. 10, 12-14, 17, 18 and 20 can similarly be secured to upperdetented portion 13 a and upper detented portion 13 b positioned onopposing sides and on opposing outside-facing surfaces of rail 13 ofFIG. 7 . As an example, FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate how clamp body 38would interact and be secured to rail 13. FIG. 10 also illustrates clampbody 38 with rail 12. Clamp body 38 is common to end clamp 25, end clamp26, mid clamp 27, and mid clamp 28 of FIGS. 43, 44, 45, and 46 ,respectively. FIGS. 13, 14, and 17 illustrates clamp body 39 with rail12. Clamp body 39 is part of bottom clamp 29 discussed for FIGS. 60-64 .Clamp body 41 and rail 12 are illustrated together in FIGS. 18 and 20 .Clamp body 41 is common to end clamp 31 of FIG. 65 and mid clamp 32 ofFIG. 66 . Clamping portion 38 a is illustrated in FIG. 11 , clampingportion 39 a is illustrated in FIG. 15 , clamping portion 39 b isillustrated in FIG. 16 , and clamping portion 41 a is illustrated inFIG. 19 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , clamping portion 38 a and clamping portion 38 bof clamp body 38 slide downward under tension along the upper portionsof rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d, respectively. The pair of clampbody arms, clamp body arm 38 c and clamp body arm 38 d of clamp body 38bends outward under spring tension as clamp body 38 is pushed downward.Clamp body 38 is typically made of a material that exhibits springtension such as steel or aluminum.

Referring to FIG. 12 , clamping portion 38 a and clamping portion 38 bof clamp body 38 are snapped or rotated into upper detented portion 12 aand upper detented portion 12 b, respectively of rail 12. The pair ofclamp body arms, clamp body arm 38 c and clamp body arm 38 d, springback inward into upper detented portion 12 a and upper detented portion12 b, respectively, from their position in FIG. 10 . Clamping portion 38a, clamping portion 38 b, upper detented portion 12 a, and upperdetented portion 12 b, are so shaped, to prevent upward movement ofclamp body 38 once respective clamping portions and upper detentedportions are engaged. First sloped surface 38 f of FIG. 11 and upperfirst sloped surface 12 f of FIG. 5 can be angle upward and inward atthe same angle, angle A1.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , first sloped surface 38 f and upper firstsloped surface 12 f form interlocking surfaces to prevent upwardmovement. Base 38 e of clamp body 38 engages rail top 12 e of rail 12 toprevent upward movement. Second sloped surface 38 g of FIG. 11 and uppersecond sloped surface 12 g of FIG. 5 can be angled downward and outwardat the same angle A2. Referring to FIG. 12 , this allows upper secondsloped surface 12 g and second sloped surface 38 g to rest against oneanother. Upper detented portion 12 b and clamping portion 38 b aresimilarly configured. This allows clamp body arm 38 c and clamp body arm38 d to rest directly against rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d,respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 10, and 12 , rail 12 optionally can include railslot 12 h that runs lengthwise within the top of rail 12. Referring toFIGS. 10 and 12 , rail slot 12 h can be sized to engage a bondingassembly that can electrically bond clamp body 38 to rail 12. Asillustrated, bonding assembly 42 can include bonding block 43, bondingpin 44, and bonding pin 45, of which bonding pin 44 is visible in theFIGS. 10 and 12 and bonding pin 45 is hidden from view. Bonding block 43is secured to clamp body 38 by spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 jprojecting downward from clamp body 38. The bonding block assembly willbe discussed in more detail later in this disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 13, 14, and 17 , bottom clamp 29 can be secured torail 12 using a similar principle. Clamping portion 39 a and clampingportion 39 b stays secured to upper detented portion 12 a and upperdetented portion 12 b, respectively in the same way as described abovefor FIG. 12 . Referring to FIG. 14 , first sloped surface 39 f and upperfirst sloped surface 12 f form interlocking surfaces to prevent upwardmovement and slippage. Referring to FIG. 15 , first sloped surface 39 fhas an acute angle of angle A1 with respect to clamp body arm 39 c,which matches angle A1 of upper detented portion 12 a of FIG. 5 .Referring to FIG. 14 , second sloped surface 39 g and upper secondsloped surface 12 g can be angled downward and outward at the same angleso that the two surfaces rest against one another and to allow clampbody arm 39 c to rest directly against rail side 12 c. Referring to FIG.15 , second sloped surface 39 g has an acute angle A2 with respect toclamp body arm 39 c, which matches angle A2 of upper detented portion 12a of FIG. 5 . Referring to FIG. 14 , base 39 e of clamp body 39 engagesrail top 12 e of rail 12 to place a limit on downward movement.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 14 , clamping portion 39 b of adjustmentsupport structure 39 p includes first sloped surface 39 m that formsinterlocking surfaces with first sloped surface 12 m to prevent upwardmovement. Referring to FIG. 16 , first sloped surface 39 m has an acuteangle of angle A1 with respect to rail contact surface 39 d whichmatches angle A1 of upper detented portion 12 a of FIG. 5 . Referring toFIG. 14 , second sloped surface 39 r and upper second sloped surface 12r can be angled downward and outward at the same angle so that the twosurfaces rest against one another and to allow rail contact surface 39 dof the adjustment support structure 39 p to rest directly against railside 12 d. Referring to FIG. 16 , second sloped surface 39 n has anacute angle A2 with respect to rail contact surface 39 d, which matchesthe angle of upper second sloped surface 12 r of FIG. 14 .

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , one way to install and secure clamp body39 to rail 12, is to rotate and snap it into place. For example,referring to FIG. 13 , with clamping portion 39 b positioned againstupper detented portion 12 b, clamp body 39 can be rotated. As the clampbody 39 is rotated, clamping portion 39 a will then slide downward alongrail side 12 c of rail 12. The clamp body arm 39 c and clamping portion39 a will be pushed outward by the rail side 12 c. Rail contact surface39 d is rotated against rail side 12 d. Base 39 e pivots against railtop 12 e. Referring to FIG. 14 , clamping portion 39 a is snapped intoupper detented portion 12 a.

Referring to FIG. 17 , another way to install and secure bottom clamp 29to rail 12 is to slide it into side of rail 12. Clamping portion 39 aand clamping portion 39 b are slid into upper detented portion 12 a andupper detented portion 12 b, respectively from the edge of rail 12. Onceclamping portion 39 a and clamping portion 39 b are slid into upperdetented portion 12 a and upper detented portion 12 b, respectively,clamp body 39 will resist upward movement as described above.

The landscape mode panel clamps of FIGS. 65 and 66 are secured to rail12 of FIG. 4 by use of clamp body 41 illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 20using the same principle as discussed for FIGS. 10-12 . Referring toFIG. 18 , clamping portion 41 a and clamping portion 41 b slide downwardunder tension along the upper portions of rail side 12 c and rail side12 d, respectively. The pair of clamp body arms, clamp body arm 41 c andclamp body arm 41 d, of clamp body 41, bend outward under spring tensionas clamp body 41 is pushed downward.

Referring to FIG. 20 , once the pair of clamping portions, clampingportion 41 a and clamping portion 41 b, are slid into upper detentedportion 12 a and upper detented portion 12 b, respectively, of rail 12,the pair of clamp body arms, clamp body arm 41 c and clamp body arm 41d, spring back inward into the detented portions. Clamping portion 41 a,clamping portion 41 b, upper detented portion 12 a, and upper detentedportion 12 b, are shaped and angled that once engaged, upward movementof clamp body 41 is prevented. First sloped surface 41 f and upper firstsloped surface 12 f form interlocking surfaces to prevent upwardmovement and slippage. Referring to FIG. 19 , first sloped surface 41 fhas an acute angle, angle A1, with respect to clamp body arm 41 c, whichmatches angle A1 of upper detented portion 12 a of FIG. 5 . Referring toFIG. 20 , base 41 e of clamp body 41 engages rail top 12 e of rail 12 toprevent upward movement. First sloped surface of clamping portion 41 bis similarly angled to prevent upward movement against upper detentedportion 12 b. Second sloped surface 41 g and upper second sloped surface12 g can be angled downward and outward at the same angle so that thetwo surfaces rest against one another and to allow clamp body arm 41 cto rest directly against rail side 12 c. The second sloped surface ofclamping portion 41 b is similarly angled to allow clamp body arm 41 dto rest directly against rail side 12 d. Referring to FIG. 19 , secondsloped surface 41 g has an acute angle A2 with respect to clamp body arm41 c, which matches angle A2 of upper second sloped surface 12 g of FIG.5 .

Clamp body 38, clamp body 39, and clamp body 41 of FIGS. 10, 14, and 18, respectively can also engage rail 13 of FIG. 7 because of the commonupper structure that rail 13 shares with rail 12 of FIG. 4 , aspreviously discussed. As an example, in FIGS. 21 and 22 , clamp body 38engages rail 13. Referring to FIG. 21 , clamping portion 38 a andclamping portion 38 b of clamp body 38 slide downward under tensionalong the upper portions of rail side 13 c and rail side 13 d,respectively. The pair of clamp body arms, clamp body arm 38 c and clampbody arm 38 d of clamp body 38, bend outward under spring tension asclamp body 38 is pushed downward.

Referring to FIG. 22 , clamping portion 38 a and clamping portion 38 bof clamp body 38 are snapped or rotated into upper detented portion 13 aand upper detented portion 13 b, respectively of rail 13. The pair ofclamp body arms, clamp body arm 38 c and clamp body arm 38 d, will thenspring back inward into the upper detented portions. Clamping portion 38a and clamping portion 38 b and upper detented portion 13 a and upperdetented portion 13 b, respectively, are shaped as previously describedin FIG. 12 . Continuing to refer to FIG. 22 , once engaged, upwardmovement of clamp body 38 is prevented. First sloped surface 38 f andupper first sloped surface 13 f form interlocking surfaces to preventupward movement and slippage. Base 38 e of clamp body 38 engages railtop 13 e of rail 13 to prevent upward movement. Rail 13 can include railslot 13 h that runs lengthwise along rail top 13 e. Rail slot 13 h canbe sized to engage a bonding assembly 42 that can electrically bondclamp body 38 to rail 13 in a similar manner as previously discussed forFIG. 12 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , rail 12 includes lower detented portion 12 n andlower detented portion 12 o for engaging L-foot adapter assembly 18 ofFIG. 23 . Continuing to refer to FIG. 4 , lower detented portion 12 nand lower detented portion 12 o are formed and positioned in a lowerregion of rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d, respectively (i.e., thelower half of the rail as measured heightwise). In FIG. 7 , rail 13includes lower detented portion 13 n and lower detented portion 13 o forengaging a version of L-foot adapter assembly 18 of FIG. 23 . Continuingto refer to FIG. 7 , lower detented portion 13 n and lower detentedportion 13 o are formed and positioned in a lower region of rail side 13c and rail side 13 d, respectively (i.e., the lower half of rail asmeasured heightwise). Referring to FIG. 24 , L-foot adapter body 51includes an interior width D4. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 24 , for L-footadapter body 51 (FIG. 24 ) that are designed to engage rail 12 (FIG. 4), then the interior width D4 of FIG. 24 would equal width D2 of FIG. 4. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 24 , for L-foot adapter body 51 (FIG. 24 )that are designed to engage rail 13 (FIG. 7 ), then the interior widthD4 of FIG. 24 would equal width D3 of FIG. 7 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , lower detented portion 12 n includes lower firstsloped surface 12 p that extends inward and downward from rail side 12 cand a lower second sloped surface 12 q that extends upward and outwardfrom the bottom of lower first sloped surface 12 p. Lower first slopedsurface 12 p extends at an acute angle with respect to rail side 12 c ofangle A4. Lower second sloped surface 12 q has an acute angle, angle A3,with respect to rail side 12 c. Referring to FIG. 4 , lower detentedportion 12 o similarly includes lower first sloped surfaces and lowersecond sloped surfaces as described for lower detented portion 12 n ofFIG. 6 .

Lower detented portion 13 n and lower detented portion 13 o of FIG. 7are similarly structured to lower detented portion 12 n and lowerdetented portion 12 o of FIG. 4 . Referring to FIG. 9 , lower detentedportion 13 n includes lower first sloped surface 13 p that extendsinward and downward from rail side 13 c and lower second sloped surface13 q that extends upward and outward from the bottom of lower firstsloped surface 13 p. Lower first sloped surface 13 p extends at an acuteangle with respect to rail side 13 c of angle A4. Lower second slopedsurface 13 q has an acute angle of angle A3 with respect to rail side 12c. Lower detented portion 13 o similarly includes first sloped surfacesand second sloped surfaces as described for lower detented portion 13 n.

FIGS. 27-30 illustrate how rail 12 engages L-foot adapter body 51 ofL-foot adapter assembly 18 and L-foot adapter assembly 18 engagingL-foot assembly 35. FIGS. 23 and 24 describe L-foot adapter assembly 18and L-foot adapter body 51, respectively. The reader will note that thisdescription that follows for rail 12 of FIG. 4 and L-foot adapterassembly 18 of FIGS. 27-30 can equally apply to rail 13 of FIG. 7 ; thedifference being that width D4 of L-foot adapter body 51 of FIG. 24would equal width D3 of FIG. 7 instead of width D2 of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 23 , L-foot adapter assembly 18, can include L-footadapter body 51, threaded fastener 52, and optionally one or morewashers. Illustrated are washer 53 and washer 54. Washer 53 isillustrated as an internal toothed washer. Other types of lock washerscan be substituted such as a split lock washer or external toothedwasher. Washer 54 is illustrated as a flat washer. Other types of plainwashers can be substituted such as fender washer, shoulder washer, orc-washer. The functionality of one or either of the illustrated washerscan optionally be built into threaded fastener 52.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24 , threaded fastener 52 (FIG. 23 ) engagesaperture 51 s and aperture 51 t of L-foot adapter body 51. Aperture 51 tis typically threaded to threadedly engage and secure threaded portion52 a (FIG. 23 ) of threaded fastener 52 (FIG. 23 ). Referring to FIG. 23, aperture 51 s is typically unthreaded to allow fastener body 52 b toturn freely.

Referring to FIGS. 27-29 , rail 12 can snap or be rotated into L-footadapter body 51 of L-foot adapter assembly 18. Rail 12 can be snapped orrotated into L-foot adapter assembly 18 while it is mounted and securedto L-foot assembly 35. In FIG. 27 , rail 12 is being snapped into L-footadapter body 51. In FIG. 28 , rail 12 is being rotated into L-footadapter body 51. The L-foot adapter body 51 is shown as a one-piece bodywith L-foot adapter side 51 d thinner and more flexible with the L-footadapter side 51 c. Because of this, the rails and L-foot adapterassemblies of the present disclosure can be snapped or rotated intoL-foot adapter bodies independent of whether or not L-foot adapterassemblies are mounted to an L-foot assemblies or other mountingstructures. For example, in FIGS. 27 and 28 , L-foot adapter assembly 18is mounted loosely to L-foot assembly 35. In FIG. 29 , after rail 12 ismounted, L-foot adapter assembly 18 can be moved to any position alongL-foot assembly 35 then tightened into place. Because of this, theinstaller could choose to preassemble L-foot adapter assembly 18 toL-foot assembly 35. Alternatively, the installer could preassemble rail12 to L-foot adapter assembly 18 and then attach the rail and L-footadapter assembly combination to L-foot assembly 35. Having these optionsallows for more flexibility during installation. For example, rail 12can be preassembled to L-foot adapter assembly 18 on the roof, on theground, or even at the installer's shop. The resulting assembly can thenbe secured to L-foot assembly 35.

Referring to FIG. 24 , L-foot adapter body 51 includes clamping portion51 a extending upward from the top of L-foot adapter side 51 c andclamping portion 51 b extending upward from the top of L-foot adapterside 51 d. Clamping portion 51 a and clamping portion 51 b include firstsloped surface 51 p and first sloped surface 51 u, respectively. Firstsloped surface 51 p and first sloped surface 51 u extend downward andinward from the top of L-foot adapter side 51 c and the top of L-footadapter side 51 d, respectively. Clamping portion 51 a and clampingportion 51 b include second sloped surface 51 q and second slopedsurface 51 v, respectively. Second sloped surface 51 q and second slopedsurface 51 v extend upward and outward from first sloped surface 51 pand first sloped surface 51 u, respectively. First sloped surface 51 pand first sloped surface 51 u make an angle A4 with respect to L-footadapter side 51 c and L-foot adapter side 51 d, respectively. Secondsloped surface 51 q and second sloped surface 51 v make an angle A3 withrespect to L-foot adapter side 51 c and L-foot adapter side 51 d,respectively. Referring to FIG. 30 , this allows first sloped surface 51p and first sloped surface 51 u to planarly engage lower first slopedsurface 12 p and lower first sloped surface 12 u, respectively of rail12. This also allows second sloped surface 51 q and second slopedsurface 51 v to engage lower second sloped surface 12 q and lower secondsloped surface 12 v, respectively, of rail 12. The downward and inwardslope of second sloped surface 51 q and second sloped surface 51 vcombined with the complementary upward and outward slope of lower secondsloped surface 12 q and lower second sloped surface 12 v, respectively,create “catches” for rail 12 and cause rail 12 to resist upwardmovement. The downward and inward slope of lower first sloped surface 12p and lower first sloped surface 12 u helps to allow lower rail side 12w and lower rail side 12 x to slide or rotate into L-foot adapter side51 w and L-foot adapter side 51 x, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 24 , the preceding paragraph discussed the benefits,and advantages of L-foot adapter side 51 d being cross-sectionallythinner than L-foot adapter side 51 c in combination with the L-footadapter body 51 having a one-piece body. We will now discuss in FIGS. 27and 28 how rail 12 engages L-foot adapter body 51. Referring to FIGS. 27and 28 , as rail 12 engages the clamping portion 51 a and clampingportion 51 b, L-foot adapter side 51 d bends outward as rail 12 iseither snapped into place (FIG. 27 ) or rotated into place (FIG. 28 ).L-foot adapter side 51 c, which is thicker and more rigid than L-footadapter side 51 d, remains stationary. Because the L-foot adapter body51 is a one-piece body and L-foot adapter side 51 d is thinner thanL-foot adapter side 51 c, it will bend from the force of the rail 12being rotated or snapped into place. Referring to FIG. 29 , L-footadapter side 51 d will spring back into its resting position and nolonger bend outward after rail 12 is snapped into place. After threadedfastener 52 is tightened, L-foot adapter side 51 d becomes supported byL-foot 35 and increases resistance to the rail 12 from pulling upwardaway from the L-foot adapter assembly.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 29 , once rail 12 is snapped or rotated intoplace, flanged portion 51 y and flanged portion 51 z extending inwardfrom L-foot adapter side 51 c and L-foot adapter side 51 d,respectively, support the rail bottom and prevent rail 12 from movingdownward. Flanged portion 51 y and flanged portion 51 z are alsoillustrated in FIGS. 23 and 24 . Referring to FIG. 29 , tightening ofthreaded fastener 52 further prevents upward movement of rail 12 becauseL-foot 35 now supports L-foot adapter side 51 d. L-foot adapter side 51d can no longer bend outward.

FIG. 26 illustrates an alternative L-foot adapter assembly, L-footadapter assembly 17. L-foot adapter assembly 17 utilizes L-foot adapterbody 57. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26 , L-foot adapter body 57 can beconstructed with the same or similar structure as L-foot adapter body 51of FIG. 23 but with the addition of aperture 57 r. Referring to FIG. 26, L-foot adapter assembly 17 can utilize threaded fastener 52 and theoptional washers, washer 53 and washer 54. Washer 53 and washer 54 canbe the same or similar as those described for FIG. 23 . Referring toFIG. 25 , the structure of L-foot adapter body 57, except aperture 57 r,can be identical with the structure of L-foot adapter body 51 of FIG. 24. Continuing to refer to FIG. 25 , clamping portion 57 a and clampingportion 57 b, L-foot adapter side 57 c and L-foot adapter side 57 d,first sloped surface 57 p, second sloped surface 57 q, first slopedsurface 57 u, second sloped surface 57 v, aperture 57 s, aperture 57 t,inside L-foot adapter side 57 w, L-foot adapter side 57 x, flangedportion 57 y, and flanged portion 57 z in FIG. 25 can have the same orsimilar structure to their respective counterparts in FIG. 24 , clampingportion 51 a, clamping portion 51 b, L-foot adapter side 51 c, L-footadapter side 51 d, first sloped surface 51 p, second sloped surface 51q, first sloped surface 51 u, second sloped surface 51 v, aperture 51 s,aperture 51 t, inside L-foot adapter side 51 w, L-foot adapter side 51x, flanged portion 51 y, and flanged portion 51 z. Because of this,L-foot adapter assembly 17 of FIG. 26 can be used in place of L-footadapter assembly 18 of FIG. 23 in any place where L-foot adapters areutilized; for example, FIGS. 2, 3, 27-30, 51-55, 57-59, 61-64, 69-74,and 76-80 .

Aperture 57 r and threaded fastener 58 of FIG. 26 allows L-foot adapterassembly 17 to be attached to metal roof 37 without an L-foot asillustrated in FIGS. 31-34 . Referring to FIGS. 31-34 , metal roof 37 isillustrated as a trapezoidal roof. L-foot adapter assembly 17 can bemounted to other metal roofs as long as they include flat mountingsuitable for mounting the assembly. FIGS. 31 and 32 show solar panelracking system 10 with solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 arranged inportrait mode with L-foot adapter assembly 17 attached directly to metalroof 37 (solar panel 24 is not shown in FIG. 32 ). FIG. 33 shows solarpanel racking system 10 with solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 arrangedin landscape mode with L-foot adapter assembly 17 attached directly tometal roof 37.

Referring to FIG. 34 , L-foot adapter assembly 17 is attached directlyto metal roof 37. Threaded fastener 58 engages rafter 61 through roofdeck 60. In FIG. 34 , roof deck 60 is illustrated as plywood sheathingbut other roof sheathings such as oriented strand board (OSB), solidwood joints, or multilayered materials such as ZIP SYSTEM® RoofSheathing. ZIP SYSTEM® is a registered trademark of J. M. HuberCorporation. Because the clamping structure of L-foot adapter body 57 isthe same or similar as the clamping structure of L-foot adapter body 51(FIG. 24 ) rail 12 can snap in or rotate into L-foot adapter body 57 aspreviously described.

Rail 12 of FIG. 4 includes a hollow interior extending between rail side12 c and rail side 12 d of the pair of rail sides. Similarly, rail 13 ofFIG. 7 includes a hollow interior extending between rail side 13 c andrail side 13 d of the pair of rail sides. In FIG. 4 , rail top 12 e,rail side 12 c, rail side 12 d, rail slot 12 h, and rail bottom 12 i,form the perimeter boundary of the hollow interior of rail 12. In FIG. 7, rail top 13 e, rail side 13 c, rail side 13 d, rail slot 13 h, andrail bottom 13 i, form the perimeter boundary of the hollow interior ofrail 13. The hollow interiors of rail 12 and rail 13 have no internalsupport structure allowing for other structures to slide into rail 12and rail 13. Two examples of structures that can slide into hollow railsare rail splice assembly 21 of FIG. 35 and rail splice assembly 22 ofFIG. 36 . Rail splice assembly 21 of FIG. 35 is sized and shaped toslide into rail 12 of FIG. 4 . Rail splice assembly 22 of FIG. 36 issized and shaped to slide into the rail 13 of FIG. 7 . FIG. 37illustrates the shape of rail splice body 62. FIG. 38 illustrates theshape of rail splice body 70. Referring to FIG. 37 , rail splice body 62includes sidewall 62 a, sidewall 62 b, and aperture 62 c. Sidewall 62 aand sidewall 62 b extend downward from opposite sides of top wall 62 dto a bottom wall 62 e. Rail splice body 62 optionally includes projectedportion 62 f and projected portion 62 g extending upward from oppositeends of top wall 62 d. Referring to FIG. 42 , sidewall 62 a and sidewall62 b are sized and shaped to allow rail splice body 62 to slide withinrail 12. Projected portion 62 f and projected portion 62 g canoptionally provide additional structural support.

Referring to FIG. 38 , rail splice body 70 includes sidewall 70 a,sidewall 70 b, and aperture 70 c. Sidewall 70 a and sidewall 70 b extenddownward from opposite sides of top wall 70 d to a bottom wall 70 e.Rail splice body 70 optionally includes projected portion 70 f andprojected portion 70 g extending upward from opposite ends of top wall70 d. Sidewall 70 a and sidewall 70 b are sized and shaped to allow railsplice body 70 to slide within rail 13 of FIG. 7 . Projected portion 70f and projected portion 70 g can optionally provide additionalstructural support.

Referring to FIG. 35 , rail splice assembly 21 includes rail splice body62, bonding pin 63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65, bonding pin 66,splice bracket 67, threaded fastener 68, and optionally, washer 69.Referring to FIG. 36 , rail splice assembly 22 includes rail splice body70, and can also include bonding pin 63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65,bonding pin 66, splice bracket 67, threaded fastener 68, and optionally,washer 69. The difference between rail splice assembly 21 of FIG. 35 andrail splice assembly 22 of FIG. 36 , is rail splice body 62 (FIG. 35 )and rail splice body 70 (FIG. 36 ). Referring to FIGS. 35 and 36 , theother components can be common to rail splice assembly 21 (FIG. 35 ) andrail splice assembly 22 (FIG. 36 ). In FIGS. 35 and 36 , splice bracket67 includes aperture 67 a sized to receive and pass through a portion ofthreaded fastener body 68 a. In FIG. 35 , threaded fastener body 68 athreadedly engages aperture 62 c located in sidewall 62 b of rail splicebody 62. In FIG. 36 , threaded fastener body 68 a threadedly engagesaperture 70 c located in sidewall 70 b of rail splice body 70. Referringto FIGS. 35 and 36 , bonding pin 63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65, andbonding pin 66 are seated in blind hole 67 b, blind hole 67 c, blindhole 67 d, and blind hole 67 e, respectively, in splice bracket 67. Notethat number of bonding pins and blind holes can be more or less thanthose shown. This can be determined by the bonding requirements andelectrical conductivity of the material used. Splice bracket 67 caninclude a foot 67 f that projects inward toward rail splice body 62(FIG. 35 ) and rail splice body 70 (FIG. 36 ) from the bottom of splicebracket 67. Referring to FIG. 42 , foot 67 f is positioned to engagebottom of rail 12 and stabilize splice bracket 67 as it is tightened torail 12.

FIGS. 39-41 show a typical assembly sequence of multiple rails usingrail splice assembly 21. In FIG. 39 rail splice assembly 21 is placedbetween rail 12 and rail 12′. Threaded fastener 68 is not fullytightened, but left loose enough to allow rail 12 and rail 12′ to engagerail splice body 62, slide past splice bracket 67 and slide past bondingpin 63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65, and bonding pin 66. Bonding pin63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65, and bonding pin 66 are hidden fromview in FIG. 39 but shown in FIG. 35 . In FIG. 40 , rail splice body 62is partially slid into the interior of rail 12′. Rail 12′ is slid undersplice bracket 67, bonding pin 63, and bonding pin 64. Bonding pin 63and bonding pin 64 are hidden from view in FIG. 40 but shown in FIG. 35. Continuing to refer to FIG. 40 , rail 12 remains unengaged with railsplice assembly 21. In FIG. 41 , rail 12 and rail 12′ are both assembledtogether. Rail splice body 62 is partially slid into the interior ofrail 12. Rail 12 is slid under splice bracket 67 and bonding pin 65 andbonding pin 66. Bonding pin 65 and bonding pin 66 are hidden from viewbut shown in FIG. 35 . Referring to FIGS. 41 and 42 , tightening ofthreaded fastener 68 will clamp splice bracket 67 to rail 12 and rail12′ to rail splice body 62 and create a structurally rigid structure.Bonding pins, not shown, will press against the rail and create anelectrical path between rail 12, rail 12′, and splice bracket 67.Referring to FIG. 35 , the electrical path is created because bondingpin 63, bonding pin 64, bonding pin 65, and bonding pin 66 havesharpened ends on both sides. This allows them to penetrate the oxidelayer of blind hole 67 b, blind hole 67 c, blind hole 67 d, and blindhole 67 e and to penetrate the paint, finish coat, or oxide layer ofrail 12 and rail 12′ of FIG. 39 in order to create an electricallyconductive path.

The discussion of FIGS. 10, 12-14, 17, 18, and 20 demonstrated howvarious panel clamps interact with rail 12 and how they are secured torail 12. These panel clamps will now be discussed in more detail.

End clamp 25, end clamp 26, mid clamp 27, and mid clamp 28 of FIGS. 43,44, 45, and 46 , respectively can share common components. End clamp 25,end clamp 26, mid clamp 27, and mid clamp 28 of FIGS. 43, 44, 45, and 46, respectively can include clamp body 38, bonding block 43, bonding pin44 and bonding pin 45, threaded fastener 49, and optionally, lock washer71. Lock washer 71 is illustrated as an internal tooth lock washer, butother types of lock washers can be readily used; for example, externaltooth lock washers, split ring lock washers, or high collar lockwashers. Threaded fastener 49 threadedly engages threaded aperture 38 oin the clamp body 38. FIG. 47 illustrates threaded aperture 38 o ofclamp body 38 in more detail.

Referring again to FIGS. 43-46 , bonding pin 44 and bonding pin 45, passinto apertures 43 a, 43 b, respectively, in bonding block 43. Inaddition, bonding block 43 includes aperture 43 c that engages springclip 38 i and spring clip 38 j projecting downward from clamp body 38.Referring to FIG. 47 , spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 j projectdownward from the bottom of support truss 38 p of clamp body 38.Referring to FIG. 49 , spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 j areapproximately centered between clamping portion 38 a and clampingportion 38 b so that bonding block 43 will align and rest within a railslot. Bonding block 43 is shown positioned within rail slot 12 h inFIGS. 51-55 .

Referring to FIG. 48 , spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 j can be seenin more detail. Spring clip 38 i includes first portion 38 q and secondportion 38 s. Spring clip 38 j includes first portion 38 r and secondportion 38 t, respectively. First portion 38 q and first portion 38 rproject outward away from spring clip sides 38 u and spring clip sides38 v respectively. They are illustrated as projecting outwardapproximately perpendicularly from spring clip sides 38 u and springclip sides 38 v. Referring to FIGS. 49 and 50 , an optionally planarbottom of bonding block 43 allows spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 jto rest flatly against the bottom of the bonding block 43. First portion38 q and first portion 38 r can project out at other angles; forexample, to match a non-planar bottom surface of bonding block 43.Referring back to FIG. 48 , second portion 38 s and second portion 38 tslope downward and inward from the end of first portion 38 q and firstportion 38 r, respectively. Referring again to FIGS. 49 and 50 , this“barbed shape” of spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 j allow them to bepushed into and through aperture 43 c and then spring out after beingpushed through to prevent removal. Once bonding block 43 is held captiveby spring clip 38 i and spring clip 38 j, the bottom of support truss 38p prevents upward movement of bonding block 43.

As demonstrated by the preceding paragraphs, the panel clamps of FIGS.43-46 share a common set of parts. Now we will discuss how these areapplied in a solar PV system and also point out the differences betweenthe panel clamps. End clamp 25 in FIG. 43 and end clamp 26 in FIG. 44both include clamping member 72. Referring to FIGS. 51 and 52 , clampingmember 72 is sized and shaped to engage the top of frame 23 a of solarpanel 23, engage clamp body 38, and clamp solar panel 23 to rail 12.Referring to FIG. 51 , tightening of threaded fastener 49 presses uppersection 72 a of clamping member 72 against the top of frame 23 a.Clamping member 72 can tend to rotate backward toward clamp body 38 asit is tightened. Lower section 72 b of clamping member 72, which extendsdownward from upper section 72 a, will engage clamp body 38 andstabilize. As threaded fastener 49 is tightened, bonding pin 44 andbonding pin 45 are pressed against rail slot 12 h, bonding pin 44 andbonding pin 45 break through the oxide or paint layer, and create anelectrical bond between frame 23 a of solar panel 23 and rail 12. InFIG. 52 , bonding pin 44 is shown pressing against rail slot 12 h andframe 23 a of solar panel 23.

End clamp 26 of FIG. 43 and end clamp 26 of FIG. 44 can share the sameelements expect a spring and washer. Washer 74 in end clamp 26 of FIG.44 replaces spring 73 of end clamp 25 in FIG. 43 . Mid clamp 27 of FIG.45 and end clamp 25 of FIG. 43 share the same elements except for theirclamping members. These shared elements include spring 73. Referring toFIG. 45 , mid clamp 27 includes clamping member 75. Referring to FIG. 53, tightening of threaded fastener 49 causes clamping member 75 to beardown on frame 23 a of solar panel 23 and frame 24 a of solar panel 24.This in turn, presses down bonding block 43, presses frame 23 a againstbonding pin 44, presses frame 24 a against bonding pin 45, and pressesboth bonding pins into rail slot 12 h. This creating electricallybonding of frame 23 a and frame 24 a to rail 12. FIGS. 54 and 55 , alsoshow bonding pin 44 of mid clamp 27 engaging rail slot 12 h of rail 12.In FIG. 54 , clamp body 38 and portions of clamping member 75 are hiddenbehind solar panel 23 and represented by dashed lines.

Except for clamping member 72 of FIG. 44 , mid clamp 28 of FIG. 46shares the same elements as end clamp 26 of FIG. 44 including washer 74.Clamping member 76 is illustrated as a fender washer. Alternatively, theclamping member 76 can include serrated edges to create better gripagainst the top of the solar panel frame. Because clamping member 76 iscircular, any rotation that may results from installation does notaffect the final appearance or performance of clamping member 76. Thiscan be helpful when using a torque driver or other power tool to installmid clamp 28. The resulting appearance of mid clamp 28 is illustrated inFIG. 56 where clamping member 76 and threaded fastener 49 can be seenand the remainder of mid clamp 28 is hidden below solar panel 23 andsolar panel 24.

Referring to FIG. 57 , clamping member 76 can clamp solar panel 23 andsolar panel 24 to rail 12. Tightening of threaded fastener 49 causesclamping member 76 to bear down on frame 23 a of solar panel 23 andframe 24 a of solar panel 24. This in turn, presses the bottom of frame23 a and frame 24 a against bonding block 43 causing bonding pin 44 topress into frame 23 a, bonding pin 45 to press into frame 24 a, and bothbonding pin 44 and bonding pin 45 to press into rail slot 12 h. Bondingpin 44 and bonding pin 45 break the paint or oxide layer of frame 23 a,frame 24 a, and rail slot 12 h, to electrically bond solar panel 23 andsolar panel 24 to rail 12. FIGS. 58 and 59 , also show bonding pin 44 ofmid clamp 28 engaging rail slot 12 h of rail 12 as clamping member 76bears down on frame 23 a of solar panel 23. In FIG. 58 , clamp body 38is hidden behind solar panel 23 and represented by dashed lines. In FIG.59 , solar panel 23 is removed to show portions of mid clamp 28,clamping member 76, clamp body 38, bonding block 43, and frame 24 a ofsolar panel 24 that would be otherwise hidden from view.

The clamping mechanism of bottom clamp 29 to the rail was discussed forFIGS. 13-17 . We will now turn our discussion to bottom clamp 29 in moredetail. Referring to FIG. 60 , bottom clamp 29 can include clampingmember 77, clamp body 39, threaded adjuster 79, pivoting body 80,tensioning band 81, and optionally, lock washer 82. Clamping member 77can include aperture 77 a that runs across and through clamping member77. Clamp body 39 includes base 39 e with side 39 h and side 39 iprojecting upward from base 39 e and spaced apart sufficiently toreceive clamping member 77. Side 39 h and side 39 i include aperture 39j and aperture 39 k, respectively. Aperture 39 j and aperture 39 k aresized to receive pivoting body 80. Pivoting body 80 passes throughaperture 39 j, 39 k of base 39 e and through aperture 77 a of clampingmember 77. Aperture 39 j and aperture 39 k can be aligned to positionpivoting body 80 parallel to the plane of base 39 e. Pivoting body 80 isillustrated as a partially threaded bolt. Threaded portion 80 athreadedly engages aperture 39 k. Head portion 80 b of pivoting body 80rests against side 39 i. Aperture 77 a of clamping member 77 isunthreaded to allow clamping member 77 to freely rotate about pivotingbody 80. Pivoting body 80 can typically be a cylindrical member heldcaptive between the side 39 h and side 39 i. For example, pivoting body80 could be a cylindrical rod with apertures on opposing ends sized andshaped to receive cotter pins or dowel pins to hold the cylindrical rodto clamp body 39. As another example, pivoting body 80 could be acylindrical rod threaded on both ends with an unthreaded portion in themiddle for engaging clamping member 77. The threaded rod could besecured to side 39 h and side 39 i by nuts engaging the rod ends.

Now we will discuss how the clamping member 77 clamps solar panel 23 torail 12 in FIGS. 62 and 63 . Referring to FIG. 60 , threaded adjuster 79threadedly engages aperture 390 and engages lower portion 77 b ofclamping member 77. Referring to FIGS. 62 and 63 , as threaded adjuster79 is rotated to engage lower portion 77 b of clamping member 77,clamping member pivots about the pivoting body 80, upper portion 77 c ofclamping member 77 engages and clamps the return flange 23 b of frame 23a of solar panel 23. Clamping pressure of clamping member 77 againstreturn flange 23 b clamps the return flange 23 b to rail 12. Tensioningband 81 is optionally used to create spring tension between clamp body39 and clamping member 77. In FIGS. 61 and 64 , clamping member 77similarly engages return flange 23 b of frame 23 a of solar panel 23 andclamping return flange 23 b to rail 12.

One of the advantages of bottom clamp 29 of FIGS. 60-64 is that threadedadjuster 79 can be accessed from the side of the solar panel. Referringto FIGS. 61 and 64 , threaded adjuster 79 is accessible under frame 23 aof solar panel 23. The installer or service personnel can have clearaccess to threaded adjuster 79. In FIG. 64 , return flange 23 b,portions of frame 23 a, and solar panel substrate 23 c that are hiddenfrom view are illustrated in dashed lines.

The clamping mechanism of landscape-mode panel clamps was discussed forFIGS. 18-20 . We will now turn our discussion to these panel clamps inmore detail. End clamp 31 illustrated in FIGS. 65, 67, and 69 and midclamp 32 of FIGS. 66, 68, and 70 share a common set of components. Theseinclude threaded fastener 49, spring 73, clamp body 41, bonding pin 44and bonding pin 45, and optionally, lock washer 71. Clamp body 41 inFIGS. 65, 67, and 69 is optionally shown without bonding pin 44 andbonding pin 45 and without aperture 41 h and aperture 41 i that receiveand pass through bonding pin 44 and bonding pin 45, respectively, ofFIGS. 66, 68, and 70 . Referring to FIGS. 65, 67, 69 , end clamp 31includes clamping member 72. Referring to FIGS. 66, 68, 70 , mid clamp32 includes clamping member 75. Referring to FIG. 65 , threaded fastenerbody 49 a passes through aperture 72 c of clamping member 72. Referringto FIG. 66 , threaded fastener body 49 a passes through aperture 75 c ofclamping member 75. Referring to FIGS. 65-68 , threaded fastener body 49a threadedly engages aperture 41 j of pedestal portion 41 m of clampbody 41. Pedestal portion 41 m projects upward from base 41 e of clampbody 41. The pair of clamp body arms, clamp body arm 41 c and clamp bodyarm 41 d, project downward from clamp body 41. Clamping portion 41 a andclamping portion 41 b extend from the ends of clamp body arm 41 c andclamp body arm 41 d, respectively, as previously discussed.

Referring to FIG. 70 , tightening of threaded fastener 49 causesclamping member 75 to bear down on frame 23 a of solar panel 23 andframe 24 a of solar panel 24, presses bonding pin 44 into frame 23 a,presses bonding pin 45 into frame 24 a, presses bonding pin 44 andbonding pin 45 against rail 12, and thereby causes frame 23 a and frame24 a to electrically bond to rail 12. Additional electrical bonding canresult from clamping portion 41 a and clamping portion 41 b digging intorail 12 and breaking through the paint or oxide layer.

Referring to FIG. 69 , clamping member 72 is sized and shaped to engagethe top of frame 23 a of solar panel 23 and to engage clamp body 41. Asthreaded fastener 49 is tightened, upper section 72 a of clamping member72 presses against the top of frame 23 a. Clamping member 72 will tendto rotate backward toward clamp body 41. Lower section 72 b of clampingmember 72, which extends downward from upper section 72 a will engageclamp body 41 and stabilize. Clamp body 41 is shown without bonding pinsor apertures to receive bonding pins. End clamp 31 can be used to createelectrical bonding by including one or both of the apertures and bondingpins from FIG. 70 . This would electrically bond end clamp 31 to therail as described for mid clamp 32 in the preceding paragraph.

The solar panel racking can be attached to a variety of L-footassemblies. FIGS. 71-83 illustrate four examples of L-foot assemblies.L-foot assembly 33 is illustrated in FIGS. 71-75 . L-foot assembly 34 isillustrated in FIGS. 76-81 . L-foot assembly 35 is illustrated in FIG.82 . L-foot assembly 36, which is a variation of L-foot assembly 35, isillustrated in FIG. 83 .

FIGS. 71-74 , illustrate solar panel racking system 10 with L-footassembly. L-foot assembly 33 includes roof flashing 83 that is typicallyused with a shingled roof, such as shingled roof 84. Dashed lines inFIGS. 71-74 represent portions of flashing 83 that are hidden from viewunder the roof shingles of shingled roof 84. In FIG. 71 , solar panel 23and solar panel 24 are mounted in portrait mode. In FIG. 72 , solarpanel 23 and solar panel 24 are mounted in landscape mode. In FIG. 71 ,the front of solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 are cutawaycross-sectionally to expose L-foot assembly 33, that would normally behidden from view if solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 were notcross-sectionally cutaway. Referring to FIGS. 73 and 74 , L-footassembly 33 is structured to allow solar panel racking system 10 to beadjusted upward and downward with respect to L-foot assembly 33. FIG. 73illustrates solar panel 23, end clamp 25, rail 12, and L-foot adapterassembly 18 moved upward with respect to L-foot assembly 33. FIG. 74illustrates solar panel 23, end clamp 25, rail 12, and L-foot adapterassembly 18 moved downward with respect to L-foot assembly 33.

Referring to FIG. 75 , L-foot assembly can include flashing 83, L-foot78, gasket 56, threaded fastener 58, and washer 59. Gasket 56 isreceived in recess 78 a within L-foot 78. Flashing 83 includes raisedportion 83 a that can create a watertight seal with gasket 56. Threadedfastener 58 passes through aperture 78 b within base 78 c of L-foot 78and through raised portion 83 a of flashing 83. Threaded fastener 52 ofL-foot adapter assembly 18 passes through washer 53 and washer 54,through slot 78 d of upper portion 78 e of L-foot 78 and through L-footadapter body 51. Slot 78 d together with threaded fastener 52 allowsL-foot adapter body 51 to move up and down.

FIGS. 76-80 , illustrate solar panel racking system 10 with L-footassembly 34. L-foot assembly 34 includes base 87 that can be used with avariety of different roof types including a shingled roof or metal roof.In FIG. 76 , solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 are mounted in portraitmode. In FIG. 77 , solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 are mounted inlandscape mode. In FIG. 76 , the front of solar panel 23 and solar panel24 are cutaway cross-sectionally to expose L-foot assembly 34 that wouldnormally be hidden from view if solar panel 23 and solar panel 24 werenot cross-sectionally cutaway. Referring to FIGS. 78-80 , L-footassembly 34 is structured to allow the solar panel racking system 10 tobe adjusted forward and backward as well as upward and downward withrespect to L-foot assembly 34. L-foot assembly 34 can be helpful whenmounting solar panels in landscape mode, as illustrated, as the distancebetween rails often has tighter tolerances for proper engagement of theend clamp 31 or mid clamp (not shown). FIG. 78 illustrates solar panel23, end clamp 31, rail 12, and L-foot adapter assembly 18 moved upwardand forward. FIG. 79 illustrates solar panel 23, end clamp 31, rail 12,and L-foot adapter assembly 18 moved upward with respect to L-footassembly 34 but slid rearward with respect to their positions in FIG. 78. FIG. 80 illustrates solar panel 23, end clamp 25, rail 12, and L-footadapter assembly 18 moved downward with respect to L-foot assembly 34.

Referring to FIG. 81 , L-foot assembly 34 can include base 87, L-foot88, gasket 89, threaded fastener 90, washer 91, washer 92, and keeper93. Gasket 89 is received in recess 87 a within base 87. Gasket 89 canbe made from elastomers, or elastomer-like materials capable of beingused as a watertight gasket for roofs that is resistant to typicaloutdoor temperature variations. For example, gasket 89 can be made fromethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), rubber, thermoplasticolefin (TPO), polychloroprene (also known as neoprene), or silicone.Threaded fastener 90 passes through aperture 88 b within lower leg 88 cof L-foot 88 and threadedly engages threaded aperture 93 a in keeper 93.Keeper 93 is sized and shaped to slide captively within slot 87 b inbase 87. Aperture 88 b in lower leg 88 c of L-foot 88 is illustrated asslotted, but it can optionally be a circular aperture.

Threaded fastener 52 of L-foot adapter assembly 18 passes through washer53, washer 54, slot 88 d of upper portion 88 e, and through L-footadapter body 51. Slot 88 d together with threaded fastener 52 allowsL-foot adapter body 51 to move up and down. Keeper 93 in combinationwith threaded fastener 90 and L-foot 88 allows L-foot adapter body 51 tomove forward and backward with respect to base 87. Slot 87 b isillustrated as extending from the top of pedestal 87 c. Pedestal 87 cprojects upward from foot 87 d of base 87. Slot 87 b could also beconstructed in a similar manner but projecting directly from foot 87 dwithout pedestal 87 c. Slot 87 b could also be indented in the surfaceof base 87. Base 87 can be attached to a roof through roof fasteners(not shown) that extend through apertures in foot 87 d. Two of theapertures, aperture 87 e and aperture 87 f, are illustrated in FIG. 81 .

FIG. 82 illustrates an exploded view of L-foot assembly 35. FIG. 83illustrates an exploded view of L-foot assembly 36. The differencebetween L-foot assembly 35 and L-foot assembly 36 is L-foot 94 andL-foot 95, respectively. Referring to FIG. 82 , L-foot 94 includesaperture 94 b for receiving a roof fastener, such as threaded fastener58 and washer 59. Threaded fastener 58 is typically secured to roofrafters or joists. Referring to FIG. 83 , L-foot 95 can optionallyinclude aperture 95 b for receiving a roof fastener, such as threadedfastener 58, but also includes additional apertures; for example,aperture 95 f, aperture 95 g, aperture 95 h, and aperture 95 i forreceiving additional threaded fasteners, for example, threaded fastener102, threaded fastener 103, threaded fastener 104, and threaded fastener105. Threaded fastener 102, threaded fastener 103, threaded fastener104, and threaded fastener 105 are typically used to secure L-foot 95 toa wood roof deck, such as plywood, OSB, or solid wood planks.

Referring to FIGS. 82 and 83 , L-foot assembly 35 and L-foot assembly 36can include L-foot 94 and L-foot 95, respectively as well as gasket 96,threaded fastener 58, and washer 59. Referring to FIG. 82 , gasket 96 isreceived in recess 94 a within lower portion 94 c of L-foot 94.Referring to FIG. 83 , gasket 96 is received in recess 95 a within lowerportion 95 c of L-foot 95. Referring to FIGS. 82 and 83 , gasket 96 canbe made from elastomers, or elastomer-like materials capable of beingused as a watertight gasket for roofs that is also resistant to typicaloutdoor temperature variations, sunlight, and weather conditions.Examples of suitable gasket materials include EPDM, rubber, TPO,neoprene, or silicone.

Referring to FIG. 82 , threaded fastener 58 passes through aperture 94 band through gasket 96. Referring to FIG. 83 , threaded fastener 58passes through aperture 95 b and through gasket 96. Referring to FIG. 82, threaded fastener 52 of L-foot adapter assembly 18 passes throughwasher 53 and washer 54, through slot 94 d of the upper portion 94 e ofL-foot 94, and through L-foot adapter body 51. Slot 94 d together withthreaded fastener 52 allows L-foot adapter body 51 to move up and down.Referring to FIG. 83 , similarly, threaded fastener 52 of L-foot adapterassembly 18 passes through washer 53 and washer 54, through slot 95 d ofupper portion 95 e of L-foot 95 and through L-foot adapter body 51. Slot95 d together with threaded fastener 52 allows L-foot adapter body 51 tomove up and down.

A solar panel racking system and devices that can form a portion of thesolar panel racking system have been described. It is not the intent ofthis disclosure to limit the claims to the examples and variationsdescribed in the Summary or Description. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that variations will occur when embodying the claims inspecific implementations and environments. For example, it may bedesirable to widen or narrow the width of the lower region of rail 12 ofFIG. 4 . One example of widening rail 12 is illustrated in FIG. 7 asrail 13. The inventors envision that rail 12 and rail 13 can be widenedor narrowed to accommodate different installation environments. Aspreviously discussed, widening or narrowing the lower region of rail 12,while leaving the width of the upper region of the rail unchanged,allows a common set of panel clamps to be used in many implementations.

It is within the scope of this disclosure to structurally and angularlymodify the upper detented portions or the lower detented portions of therails to accommodate corresponding structural and angular variations inthe panel clamps. Rail 97, which is an example of one such variation, isillustrated in FIGS. 84-86 . FIG. 87 illustrates a portion of panelclamp 98 with upper detented portion 97 a and upper detented portion 97b of rail 97.

As illustrated, the difference between rail 12 of FIG. 4 and rail 97 ofFIG. 84 is the structure of the detented portions. For the sake of thisexample, the remaining structure of rail 12 and rail 97 can remain thesame. For example, referring to FIG. 84 , rail 97 can include a hollowinterior extending between rail side 97 c, rail side 97 d, rail top 97e, and rail bottom 97 i. Rail side 97 c and rail side 97 d can extenddownward from opposing sides of rail top 97 e and extend upward fromopposing sides of rail bottom 97 i to form opposing outside-facingsurfaces of rail 97. This is similar to FIG. 4 where the pair of railsides (i.e., rail side 12 c and rail side 12 d) extends downward fromopposing sides of rail top 12 e and extends upward from rail bottom 12 ito form opposing outside-facing surfaces of rail 12. Referring to FIG.84 , the upper detented portion 97 a is located on rail side 97 c andupper detented portion 97 b is located on rail side 97 d on the upperregion of rail 97 (i.e., the heightwise upper half of the rail). This issimilar to FIG. 4 where upper detented portion 12 a is located on railside 12 c and upper detented portion 12 b is located on rail side 12 don the upper region of rail 12 (i.e., the heightwise upper half of therail). Referring to FIG. 84 , lower detented portion 97 n is located onrail side 97 c and lower detented portion 97 o is located on rail side97 d on the lower region of rail 97 (i.e., the heightwise lower half ofthe rail). This again, is similar to FIG. 4 where lower detented portion12 n is located on rail side 12 c and lower detented portion 12 o islocated on rail side 12 d on the lower region of rail 12 (i.e., theheightwise lower half of the rail). In FIG. 84 , the rail top 97 e caninclude a rail slot 97 h that extends lengthwise along the rail 97. Theis similar to rail slot 12 h extending lengthwise along rail top 12 e.

FIG. 85 illustrates upper detented portion 97 a in more detail andillustrates the differences from upper detented portion 12 a and upperdetented portion 12 b of FIG. 12 . Referring to FIG. 85 , upper detentedportion 97 a includes upper first sloped surface 97 f, upper secondsloped surface 97 g, and also includes upper third sloped surface 97 y.Upper first sloped surface 97 f projects upward and inward at an angleA5 with respect its respective rail side, rail side 97 c. Upper secondsloped surface 97 g projects downward and outward at an angle A2 withrespect to rail side 97 c. Angle A5 and angle A2 are illustrated asacute (i.e., less than 90°). Upper first sloped surface 97 f is shownpositioned above upper second sloped surface 97 g. Both upper firstsloped surface 97 f and upper second sloped surface 97 g are positionedbetween two portions of their respective rail side, rail side 97 c.Upper third sloped surface 97 y is positioned between upper first slopedsurface 97 f and upper second sloped surface 97 g and positioneddownward and inward with respect to upper first sloped surface 97 f.Panel clamps resist upward movement in part because of the structure ofupper first sloped surface 97 f, upper second sloped surface 97 g, andupper third sloped surface 97 y as described above. Upper third slopedsurface 97 y can help resist movement of tabbed panel clamps; forexample, panel clamp 98 of FIG. 87 that uses tab portion 98 a.Continuing to refer to FIG. 85 , upper third sloped surface 97 y isoptionally shown making a right angle (i.e., 90° angle) with upper firstsloped surface 97 f. This can help accommodate right-angled tabs orother right-angled structures.

FIG. 87 illustrates leg portion 98 c, leg portion 98 d, tab portion 98a, and tab portion 98 b of panel clamp 98 engaged and secured to rail97. In FIG. 87 , tab portion 98 a engages against upper detented portion97 a. Tab portion 98 b engages against upper detented portion 97 b. Theshape and angular configuration of upper detented portion 97 a and upperdetented portion 97 b causes rail 97 to resist upward movement of panelclamp 98. For example, upper side 98 f of tab portion 98 a engagesagainst upper first sloped surface 97 f. End portion 98 y of tab portion98 a engages against upper third sloped surface 97 y of rail 97. Upperfirst sloped surface 97 f resists upward movement of upper side 98 f oftab portion 98 a. Upper third sloped surface 97 y is shown optionallyengaging end portion 98 y planarly, to help seat tab portion 98 a inupper detented portion 97 a. This helps resist upward movement of upperside 98 f against upper first sloped surface 97 f and prevent slippageof tab portion 98 a.

Similarly, the upper first sloped surface, the upper second slopedsurface, and the upper third sloped surface of upper detented portion 97b resist upward movement and slippage of tab portion 98 b.

Referring to FIG. 84 , lower detented portion 97 n and lower detentedportion 97 o are formed and positioned in the lower region of rail side97 c and rail side 97 d, respectively (i.e., the lower region being theheightwise lower half of the rail). Lower detented portion 97 n andlower detented portion 97 o can also include a lower third slopedsurface. An example of the lower third sloped surface is illustrated inFIG. 86 . Referring to FIG. 86 , lower detented portion 97 n includeslower first sloped surface 97 p, lower second sloped surface 97 q, andlower third sloped surface 97 z. Lower first sloped surface 97 p extendsinward and downward from rail side 97 c. Lower second sloped surface 97q extends upward and outward from the bottom of the lower first slopedsurface 97 p. Lower third sloped surface 97 z is positioned betweenlower first sloped surface 97 p and lower second sloped surface 97 q.Lower first sloped surface 97 p extends at angle A4 with respect to railside 97 c. Lower second sloped surface 97 q extends at angle A6 withrespect to rail side 97 c. Lower detented portion 97 o similarlyincludes lower first sloped surface, lower second sloped surface, andlower third sloped surface as described for lower detented portion 97 n.As illustrated, angle A6 of FIG. 86 does not equal angle A3 of FIG. 6 ,however, they could be equal depending on the application. Referring toFIG. 86 , the angle and structure of lower third sloped surface 97 z candepend on the angle and structure of the corresponding engaging surfaceof clamping portion 57 a of FIG. 25 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , where upper first sloped surface 12 f and uppersecond sloped surface 12 g intersect is illustrated as forming alengthwise radius edge. Alternatively, upper first sloped surface 12 fand upper second sloped surface 12 g can intersect in a lengthwisevertex edge.

Upper detented portion 12 a and upper detented portion 12 b of FIG. 4are typically symmetrical and horizontally aligned. However, they may beasymmetrical and non-horizontally aligned to engage panel clamps withnon-horizontally aligned or asymmetrical clamping portions. For example,a panel clamp might include a pair of clamp body arms with one of theclamp body arms longer than the other. The matching upper detentedportions could be non-horizontally aligned to accommodate this.Similarly, a panel clamp could have clamping portions that arestructured differently from one another. In this case, the firstdetented portion and the second detented portion of the rail could beasymmetrical to accommodate the asymmetrical clamping portions.

The clamping portion 38 a of FIG. 11 is illustrated with a planarsurface between first sloped surface 38 f and second sloped surface 38g. This planar surface can be angled to engage upper third slopedsurface 97 y of upper detented portion 97 a of rail 97. FIG. 88 shows analternative example of a clamping portion. First sloped surface 138 fand second sloped surface 138 g of clamping portion 138 a meet with aradiused edge rather than a blunt or planar edge. To be compatible theupper detented portion 12 a and upper detented portion 12 b of rail 12of FIG. 4 and upper detented portion 13 a and upper detented portion 13b of rail 13 of FIG. 7 , first sloped surface 138 f can make an angle A1and second sloped surface 138 g can make an angle A2 with respect towith clamp body arm 138 c. FIG. 89 , illustrates clamping portion 138 aand clamping portion 138 b engaged and secured to upper detented portion12 a and upper detented portion 12 b, respectively of rail 12. Clampingportion 138 b can include surfaces structured and angled like firstsloped surface 138 f and second sloped surface 138 g, including theradius between them. First sloped surface 138 f planarly engages upperfirst sloped surface 12 f of rail 12. Second sloped surface 138 gplanarly engages upper second sloped surface 12 g. The radius edgebetween first sloped surface 138 f and the second sloped surface 138 gcan be structured in size and shape to engage the surface of the radiusedge between upper first sloped surface 12 f and upper second slopedsurface 12 g. The remainder of the clamp body 138 can be otherwise thesame as clamp body 38 of FIG. 11 . For example, the clamp body 138 caninclude clamp body arm 138 c that engages rail side 12 c, clamp body arm138 d that engages rail side 12 d, base 138 e that engages rail top 12e, and spring clip 138 i and spring clip 138 j that engage the bondingblock 43 of bonding assembly 42. The clamping portion 138 a can also beused in place of clamping portion 39 a and clamping portion 39 b ofclamp body 39 of FIG. 13 and clamping portion 41 a of clamp body 41 ofFIG. 18 . Clamping portion 138 a can be applied to any examples thatutilize the above-mentioned clamping portions.

It is possible to implement features described in separate examples incombination within a single example. Similarly, it is possible toimplement features described in a single example either separately or incombination in multiple examples. For example, L-foot adapter body 57 ofFIG. 25 can be used in place of L-foot adapter body 51 throughout theexamples in this disclosure. Rail 13 of FIG. 7 can be used in place ofrail 12 of FIG. 4 in FIGS. 10, 12, 13, 14, 18, and 20 . In addition,rail 13 can be used in place of rail 12 in FIGS. 17, 27-34, 51-55,57-59, 61-64, 69, 70-74, and 76-80 , as long as the width D4 of L-footadapter body 51 of FIG. 24 equals the width D3 as measured at the bottomof rail 13 of FIG. 7 . The inventors envision that these variations fallwithin the scope of the claims.

While the solar panel racking system of this disclosure is illustratedmounted to different types of roof structures. The solar panel rackingsystem is not limited to these roof structures. Because the commoncomponents of the solar panel racking system are independent of L-footassemblies and other mounting structures, the solar panel racking systemcan be mounted to various commercial and residential roof types such asmetal roofs, shingle roofs, tile roofs, flat concrete roofs. Forexample, the solar panel racking system can be mounted to a tile roofusing the L-foot adapter assembly 17 of FIG. 26 in combination with atile roof mount device such as the tile roof mount device of U.S. Pat.No. 8,776,456 (Schrock). It can be mounted to shade structures such asawnings or carports directly using the L-foot adapter assembly 17 ofFIG. 26 or by using an L-foot assembly, such as those illustrated inFIGS. 71-83 . It can be mounted to commercial, residential, andutility-scale ground-mounted structures, for example by using the L-footadapter assembly 17 of FIG. 26 combined with braces that engage theground mount structure.

While the examples and variations are helpful to those skilled in theart in understanding the claims, the scope of the claims is defined bythe following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for mounting a solar panel, comprising:a panel clamp including a clamp body and a clamping member that is sizedand shaped to clamp on top of the solar panel and is adjustably attachedto the clamp body; the clamp body includes a clamp body top, a firstclamp body arm and a second clamp body arm that each extend downwardfrom the clamp body top; a bonding block secured to the clamp body andpositioned in at least one orientation between the first clamp body armand the second clamp body arm; and a bonding pin extending through thebonding block.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein: the bonding block ispositioned in a widthwise orientation between the first clamp body armand the second clamp body arm.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein: thebonding block extends lengthwise beyond the first clamp body arm and thesecond clamp body arm.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein: the bondingpin is positioned in a portion of the bonding block that extends beyondthe first clamp body arm and the second clamp body arm.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein: two or more of spring clips project downward from theclamp body and receive and secure the bonding block to the clamp body.6. The device of claim 1, wherein: the bonding block includes anaperture therethrough; and the clamp body includes two or more springclips that extend downward therefrom and receive and secure the bondingblock through the aperture.
 7. A device for mounting a solar panel,comprising: a panel clamp including a clamp body and a clamping memberthat is sized and shaped to clamp on top of the solar panel and isadjustably attached to the clamp body; the clamp body includes a clampbody top, a first clamp body arm that includes a first clamping portion,and a second clamp body arm that includes a second clamping portion, thefirst clamp body arm and the second clamp body arm each extend downwardfrom the clamp body top; a bonding block secured to the clamp body andpositioned in at least one orientation between the first clamp body armand the second clamp body arm and above the first clamping portion andthe second clamping portion; and a bonding pin extending through thebonding block.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein: the bonding block ispositioned in a widthwise orientation between the first clamp body armand the second clamp body arm.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein: thebonding block extends lengthwise beyond the first clamp body arm and thesecond clamp body arm.
 10. The device of claim 7, wherein: the bondingpin is positioned in a portion of the bonding block that extends beyondthe first clamp body arm and the second clamp body arm.
 11. The deviceof claim 7, wherein: two or more of spring clips project downward fromthe clamp body and receive and secure the bonding block to the clampbody.
 12. The device of claim 7, wherein: the bonding block includes anaperture therethrough; and the clamp body includes two or more springclips that extend downward therefrom and receive and secure the bondingblock through the aperture.
 13. The device of claim 7, wherein: theclamp body includes a support truss that extends downward from the clampbody top between the first clamp body arm and the second clamp body arm,and includes two or more spring clips that extend downward from a bottomof the support truss and secure the bonding block to the clamp body. 14.A device for mounting a solar panel, comprising: a rail including a railtop with a rail slot indented lengthwise therein, and a first rail sideand a second rail side extending downward from the rail top; a panelclamp including a clamp body, and a clamping member that is sized andshaped to clamp on top of the solar panel and is adjustably attached tothe clamp body; the clamp body includes a clamp body top, a first clampbody arm and a second clamp body arm that each extend downward from theclamp body top; the first clamp body arm is clamped to the first railside and the second clamp body arm is clamped to the second rail side,securing the clamp body to the rail; a bonding block secured to theclamp body and positioned in at least one orientation between the firstclamp body arm and the second clamp body arm, the bonding block isseated in the rail slot; and a bonding pin extending through the bondingblock.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein: the first rail side includesa first detent therein and the second rail side includes a second detenttherein; and the first clamp body arm includes a first clamping portionthat clamps to the first rail side within the first detent, and thesecond clamp body arm that includes a second clamping portion thatclamps to the second rail side within the second detent.
 16. The deviceof claim 14, wherein: two or more of spring clips project downward fromthe clamp body and receive and secure the bonding block to the clampbody.
 17. The device of claim 14, wherein: the bonding block includes anaperture therethrough; and the clamp body includes two or more springclips that extend downward therefrom and receive and secure the bondingblock through the aperture.
 18. The device of claim 14, wherein: theclamp body includes a support truss that extends downward from the clampbody top between the first clamp body arm and the second clamp body arm,and includes two or more spring clips that extend downward from a bottomof the support truss and secure the bonding block to the clamp body.